Toilet tank flushing mechanism



fication continues.

United tates The present invention relates to improvements in a toilettank flushing mechanism, and it consists in the combination,construction, and arrangement of parts as hereinafter described andclaimed.

An object of my invention is to provide an improvement over my patent ona toilet tank flushing mechanism, Patent Number 3,095,577, issued July2, 1963. In my patent I disclose a toilet tank provided with the usualoverflow pipe communicating with the outlet pipe that leads to thetoilet bowl for flushing it. A flexible flush valve for closing theinlet end of the outlet pipe is normally held in open position by theflushing mechanism described in the patent and is pivotally mounted nearthe overflow pipe. When the flushing mechanism is actuated, the flexibleflush valve, which is made of rubber in my patented device, is firstpermitted to close the outlet pipe while the water inlet valve is openedand the tank will fill with water up to the desired level. The flushingmechanism will then automatically open the flexible valve and permit thewater in the tank to flow into the toilet bowl for flushing it. I havefound that it is difficult to open the flexible valve when the tank isfilled with water because the weight of the water on the valve will tendto keep it closed. During the opening movement of the flexible valve,one end of the valve will first be lifted and the valve body will flexand will be formed into a curve and therefore the curved valve body willgradually open the outlet pipe as the end of the valve is still movedinto open position. The body of water in the tank will bear down uponthe curved valve as it is being opened and will tend to retard thismovement.

One of the objects of my present invention is to provide a hinged valvefor the outlet pipe that is non-flexible. Therefore when thetoilet-flushing mechanism lifts the valve at the time the tank fillswith water, the entire valve body will swing about its pivot and willimmediately be spaced from the entire rim of the inlet to the outletpipe. The tank waterwill start flowing into the outlet pipe around itsentire rim and there will be less tendency for the weight of the body ofwater to keep the valve closed.

A further object of my invention is to provide a flushing mechanism inwhich a stop is provided for the pivoted frame that has the float balloperatively connected there with so that the downward swinging movementof the frame and ball is stopped at a predetermined point.

Furthermore in my patent I show the pivoted frame that carries the floatball as having an eyelet that slidably receives the rod for operatingthe water inlet valve for the inlet pipe. The eyelet has a tendency tobind on the rod. In the present invention the pivoted frame carries aroller that contacts with the valve-closing rod when the frame is in itsraised position and holds the flush valve for the outlet pipe in openposition.

The ball float has a rod that is pivotally connected to the pivotedframe and novel adjustable means is provided for limiting the swingingof the float, and rod with respect to the frame so that the desiredquantity of water will be received in the tank before the flushingmechanism will automatically open the valve for the outlet pipe.

Other objects and advantages will appear as the speci- The novelfeatures of the invention will be set forth in the appended claims.

atent Drawing For a better understanding of my invention, referenceshould be made to the accompanying drawing, forming part of thisspecification, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal vertical section through the device and atoilet flushing tank and is taken substantially along the section line1-1 of FIGURE 2. Parts of the device are shown in elevation and theflushing mechanism is in normal position.

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of FIGURE 1 with the cover for the tankremoved and parts of the flushing mechanism shown in a horizontal plane.

FIGURE 3 is similar to FIGURE 1 and illustrates the flushing mechanismin a different position.

FIGURE 4 is a view of the ball float when looking in the direction ofthe arrows 44 in FIGURE 2, and illustrates how the ball is operativelyconnected to the flushing mechanism.

While I have shown only the preferred form of my invention, it should beunderstood that various changes, or modifications, may be made withinthe scope of the annexed claims without departing from the spiritthereof.

Detailed description In carrying out my invention, I make use of a flushtank T for a toilet, not shown. This tank is provided with the usualwater supply pipe 1 and this pipe has a valve casing 2 secured to itstop, see FIGURES 1 and 3. The valve casing 2 has a water inlet valve 3that is norma-lly held in closed position by a lever 4. One end of thelever is pivoted to the valve casing 2 while the other end is pivotallyconnected to a link 5. The link in turn has its free end pivotallyconnected to one end of a lever 6 and this lever is pivotally carried bythe valve casing 2. A valve actuating rod 7 extends from the free end ofthe lever 6 and when this rod is held in raised position as in FIGURE 1,it will maintain the water inlet valve 3 in closed position. The partsjust described are of standard construction and form no part of myinvention except insofar as they cooperate with the toilet tank flushingmechanism.

The tank T also has an outlet pipe 8 that leads from the bottom of thetank to the toilet bowl, not shown. An overflow pipe 9 is supported by acasting 10 which in turn has a passage for placing the overflow pipe incommunication with the outlet pipe. These parts are also of standardconstruction and form no part of my invention except insofar as theycooperate with the toilet flushing mechanism now to be described.

I provide a collar bracket 11 and mount this on the overflow pipe 9 andadjacent to the top of the casting 10. The collar bracket pivotallycarries a flush valve A. FIGURES 1 and 3 show the flush valve pivotallysecured at 12 to the collar bracket 11. The collar bracket in turn has aset screw 13 that secures the bracket in adjusted position on theoverflow pipe 9. The casting 10 receives the top of the outlet pipe 8and the casting has an inlet water passage communicating with the outletpipe. The entrance end of the water passage forms a valve seat 14 forreceiving the flush valve A when the latter is in closed position, asshown in FIGURE 3.

The toilet tank flushing mechanism normally holds the flush valve A inopen position so that the toilet tank T will remain empty of water untilthe flushing mechanism is actuated. I provide an upper bracket B thathas a cylindrical portion for receiving the overflow pipe 9. Thisbracket is secured in the desired position on the overflow pipe bytightening a set screw 15. The upper bracket B also has a lip or stopportion 16 for a purpose now to be described.

An S-shaped pivoted member C, see FIGURE 2, has a U-shaped portion 17pivotally received in a transverse bore provided in the upper bracket B.Parallel arms 13 and 19 extend from the U-shaped portion 17 and whenthese arms swing downwardly during the operation of the flushingmechanism, they will strike the stop 16 on the upper bracket B and willbe prevented from further downward swinging movement. The S-shapedmember C also has a second U-shaped portion 20 that. connects with thearm 19 and has another arm 21 extending therefrom and that parallels thearm 19. The free end of the arm 21 is bent at a slight angle and isshown at 21a in FIGURES 1 and 3.

I will now describe the mechanism for actuating the member C for causingit to swing in a clockwise direction when looking at FIGURE 1, when thetank flushing mechanism is actuated. A lever arm 22 has one endconnected to a stub shaft 23 and this shaft extends through the frontwall of the water tank T. An operating handle 24 is secured to theportion of the stub shaft projecting forwardly from the front wall ofthe tank. A rocking of the handle 24 in a counter-clockwise directionwhen looking at FIGURE 1, will also rock the lever arm 22 and will raisethe free end of this arm to the dot-dash line position. The lever arm 22is disposed within the water tank and it has a plurality of spaced apartopenings 22a. An adjustable wire clip 25 has a bent end 25a that may beinserted into any one of the desired openings 22a in the lever arm. Theadjustable wire clip 25 has a looped portion 2512 that receives thelever arm 22 and then the wire clip has a depending eyelet portion 250to which one end of a chain 26 is connected. The other end of the chainis connected to the free end of the bent portion 21a of the member C.

When therefore the handle 24 is manually rocked in a counter-clockwisedirection for actuating the flushing mechanism as in FIGURE 1, the leverarm 22 will be swung upwardly and will cause the wire clip 25 to pullupwardly on the chain 26. The chain in turn will act on the end 21a ofthe member C to rock this member in a clockwise direction about itspivot 17. A second chain 27 has its upper end connected to the U-shapedportion 20 of the member C and has its lower end connected at 28 to theflush valve A.

I will now describe the means for maintaining the swingable member C ina position where it will hold the flush valve A in open position untilthe flushing mechanism is actuated. A third chain 29 has one endconnected to the U-shaped portion 26 of the member C and has its otherend connected to a coil spring 30, see FIGURE 2. The free end of thecoil spring 30 is connected to an eyelet 31 and this eyelet is mountedin any one of a number of openings in a bracket D. The bracket has ahookshaped portion that is hung on the upper edge of the side wall ofthe water tank T. The coil spring 30 will yieldingly pull on the chain29 at all times and the chain in turn will normally hold the swingablemember C in the position shown in FIGURE 1, and therefore the memberwill hold the flush valve A in open position.

When the handle 24 is actuated for swinging the lever arm 22 in acounterclockwise direction, the chain 26 will pull upwardly on the end21a of the member C for rocking the member in a clockwise direction tolower the chain 27 and permit the flush valve A to close. When themember C nears its lower position during its swinging movement, theU-shaped portion 20 will pass below an imaginary line that extends fromthe eyelet 31 and through the pivot 17. Therefore when the U-shapedportion 20 passes this line, the coil spring 30 will pull on the chain29 and will urge the member C to continue swinging in a clockwisedirection. The parallel arms 18 and 19 will strike the lip or stop 16 onthe upper bracket B and will prevent any further clockwise swinging ofthe member C. The member C will remain in this position even though thehandle 24 is released, The flush valve A will therefore remain closed.

The water in the water supply pipe 1 is under pressure and it will openthe water inlet valve 3 and enter the tank T. The opening of the inletvalve 3 will act on the lever 4 and link 5 for swinging the lever 6 in aclockwise direction about its pivot and this will swing the valveactuating rod 7 downwardly at an angle, see FIGURE 3.

I will now describe the means for causing the rising water level in thetank to actuate a ball float E and to raise the float and return themember C to normal position. The ball float E is connected to the memberC and will swing this member in a counter-clockwise direction whenreturning it to normal position. The member C has a portion 33 bent atright angles to the arm 18. A roller 34 is rotatably mounted on theportion 33 and this roller is positioned under the valve actuating rod 7so as to contact with the rod as the member C swings back into normalposition. As the rising float E moves upwardly and swings the member Ccounter-clockwise, the roller 34 will be brought into contact with theunderside of the rod 7. A further upward movement of the roller 34 willswing the rod 7 in a counter-clockwise direction and through the lever6, link 5 and lever 4 will move the water inlet valve 3 into closedposition. When this takes place, the member C has been swung into aposition for opening the flush valve A by pulling upwardly on the chain27. The chain 29 with its coil spring 30 will pull on the U-shapedportion 20 of the member C and hold the member in a position to keep theflush valve open.

FIGURES l, 3 and 4 show the ball float E mounted on a rod 35 and thisrod has a fiat triangularly-shaped portion 36 at one end with spacedapart stops 37 and 38 being integral with the flat portion. The arm 18has a pivotal connection at 39 with the triangular flat portion 36. Therod 35 and the flat portion 36 swing as a unit about the pivot 39 whenthe ball float E swings about the pivot.

A set screw 40 is received in a threaded opening in the stop 38 and thisset screw may be adjusted for limiting the upward swinging movement ofthe ball float E with respect to the arm 18. When the end of the setscrew 40 contacts with the arm 13, further upward swinging movement ofthe ball float E with respect to the arm is prevented. The set screw 40can be adjusted to change the amount of swinging movement permittedbetween the ball float E and the arm 18. By this arrangement the waterlevel in the tank T can be controlled before the flush valve A will beopened. This will be described when setting forth the operation of thedevice.

The roller 34 is held in place on the portion 33 by means of a washer 41and a screw 42 is threaded into an axially aligned threaded bore in theend of the portion 33 and holds the washer in place. The various partsof the toilet flushing mechanism can be mounted in a water tank T thathas the usual water supply pipe 1 and water inlet valve 3 with the valveactuating rod '7. The water tank T is also provided with the outlet pipe8, the overflow pipe 9 and the casting 10 that connects the two togetherand has a passageway placing the overflow pipe in communication with theoutlet pipe.

Operation From the foregoing description of the various parts of thedevice, the operation thereof may be readily understood. The toilet tankflushing mechanism is mounted on the overflow pipe 9. The member C isswung into the position shown in FIGURE 1, so as to hold the flushingvalve A in open position by means of the chain 27. The chain 29 and thespring 30 will yieldingly hold the member C in this position until thehandle 24 is actuated. The tank T will therefore remain without water init until the handle is operated.

When the handle 24 is actuated for swinging the lever arm 22 upwardly,the chain 26 which is connected to the lever arm by the wire clip 25will act upon the member C to swing it clockwise about its pivot 17.This movement will permit the chain 27 to move downwardly and allow theflush valve A to close. The U-shaped portion 20 of the member C willswing beyond dead center before the parallel arms 18 and 19 will strikethe stop 16 on the upper bracket B. The chain 29 and the spring 30 willtherefore exert a force on the member C which will tend to yieldinglyhold the member in a position where the parallel arms 18 and 19 willrest on the stop 16.

The swinging of the member C in a clockwise direction by the chain 26will move the roller 34 downwardly and away from the valve actuating rod7. The water pressure in the water supply pipe 1 is now suflicientlygreat to open the water inlet valve 3 and permit water to enter the tankT. The opening of the inlet valve 3 will swing the lever 4 in aclockwise direction and lift the link 5 and permit the lever 6 to swingclockwise and cause the valve actuating rod 7 to swing downwardlybecause the roller 34 has been moved away from the rod. The parts willremain in this position during the filling of the tank T with water.

As the level of the water in the tank rises it will lift the ball floatE. The set screw 40 has previously been set so that the ball float Ewill cause its rod 35 to first swing about the pivot 39 until the setscrew 40 contacts with the arm 18 of the member C. As soon as this takesplace, the continued upward movement of the ball float caused by therising level of water in the tank T will start to raise the arm 18 andswing the member C about its pivot 17 in a counter-clockwise direction.The ball float E will continue to rise and the member C will rotatecounter-clockwise and finally take up the slack in the chain 27 and pullon the flush valve A to swing it into open position. The ball float Bwill be in the dot-dash line position shown in FIGURE 1 when the flushvalve is opened.

As previously stated, the flush valve A is made of metal and as soon asit starts to swing about its pivot 12, the entire rim of the valve willbe separated from the valve seat 14 and permit the water in the tank tostart to flow through the outlet pipe 8 for flushing the toilet. Thechain 29 and its spring 30 will be swung beyond dead center and willhold the member C in its raised position. The swinging of the member Cinto the position shown in FIGURE 1, will cause the roller 34 to contactwith the underside of the valve actuating rod 7 and to swing this rod ina counter-clockwise direction. This swinging movement will also swingthe lever 6 and cause the link 5 to move downwardly and in turn to movethe lever 4 for closing the water inlet valve 3. The parts will nowremain in this position until the next time the handle 24 is actuated.The tank T will contain no water because the flush valve A will be heldin open position. The stop 37 on the triangular member 36 will contactwith the arm 18 and will hold the rod 35 and ball float E in the fullline position shown in FIGURE 1.

I claim:

1. The combination with (a) a toilet flush tank;

(b) a water inlet pipe for the tank and communicating with a source ofwater under pressure;

() a water inlet valve for the water inlet pipe for controlling thewater entering the tank;

(d) means including a swingable rod for closing the inlet valve when therod is swung upwardly, said means swinging the rod downwardly when thewater pressure opens the valve;

(e) a water outlet pipe for the tank and having a valve seat at itsentrance end;

(f) a non-flexible flush valve pivotally mounted adjacent to said valveseat and adapted to swing into closed position to cover the valve seat;

(g) a member pivotally mounted in said tank above said flush valve andbeing swingable from a raised to a lowered position;

(h) a flexible connection between said member and said flush valve forswinging said flush valve into open position when said member is inraised position;

(i) yielding means position;

(j) a roller carried by said member and engaging with the underside ofsaid rod when the member is raised, for holding the rod in raisedposition for keeping the inlet valve closed against the water pressure;

(k) hand-operated means for swinging said member into a lowered positionfor permitting said flush valve to close and for causing said roller tomove away from said rod and permitting the inlet valve to open and toswing said rod downwardly;

(l) a stop attached to said water outlet pipe and positioned in the pathof said swingable rod for limiting further swinging movement of saidmember into its lowered position when said member contacts with thestop;

(m) said yielding means holding said member in contact with said stopwhen said hand-operated means is freed; and

(n) a float operatively connected to said member and raised by the waterentering said tank for swinging said member into raised position andcausing said roller to swing said rod upwardly and close said inletvalve when the water level in the tank reaches a predetermined point;

(0) said member when in raised position causing said flexible connectionto swing said flush valve open and permit water to flow from the tankand out through said outlet pipe.

2. The combination as set forth in claim 1: and in which the operativemeans between the float and said member includes (a) a rod connected tosaid float;

(b) said rod having a triangularly-shaped outer end pivoted to saidmember;

(c) said triangularly-shaped outer end having spaced apart stopsdesigned to contact with said member to limit the swinging movement ofsaid rod and float with respect to said member; and

(d) an adjusting screw carried by one of said stops and adapted tocontact with said member for limiting the swinging of said rod and floatin one direction.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS for holding saidmember in raised 1,736,719 11/ 1929 Morro 4--57 2,690,567 10/ 1954Quebbeman 467 2,744,261 5/ 1956 Gram 467 2,839,761 6/1958 Heidman 4563,026,536 3/1962 Wood 4-57 3,095,577 7/ 1963 Clark 4-19 LAVERNE D.GEIGER, Primary Examiner.

H. ARTIS, Assistant Examiner.

1. THE COMBINATION WITH (A) A TOILET FLUSH TANK; (B) A WATER INLET PIPEFOR THE TANK AND COMMUNICATING WITH A SOURCE OF WATER UNDER PRESSURE;(C) A WATER INLET VALVE FOR THE WATER INLET PIPE FOR CONTROLLING THEWATER ENTERING THE TANK; (D) MEANS INCLUDING A SWINGABLE ROD FOR CLOSINGTHE INLET VALVE WHEN THE ROD IS SWUNG UPWARDLY, SAID MEANS SWINGING THEROD DOWNWARDLY WHEN THE WATER PRESSURE OPENS THE VALVE; (E) A WATEROUTLET PIPE FOR THE TANK AND HAVING A VALVE SEAT AT ITS ENTRANCE END;(F) A NON-FLEXIBLE FLUSH VALVE PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ADJACENT TO SAID VALVESEAT AND ADAPTED TO SWING INTO CLOSED POSITION TO COVER THE VALVE SEAT;(G) A MEMBER PIVOTALLY MOUNTED IN SAID TANK ABOVE SAID FLUSH VALVE ANDBEING SWINGABLE FROM A RAISED TO A LOWERED POSITION; (H) A FLEXIBLECONNECTION BETWEEN SAID MEMBER AND SAID FLUSH VALVE FOR SWINGING SAIDFLUSH VALVE INTO OPEN POSITION WHEN SAID MEMBER IS IN RAISED POSITION;(I) YIELDING MEANS FOR HOLDING SAID MEMBER IN RAISED POSITION; (J) AROLLER CARRIED BY SAID MEMBER AND ENGAGING WITH THE UNDERSIDE OF SAIDROD WHEN THE MEMBER IS RAISED, FOR HOLDING THE ROD IN RAISED POSITIONFOR KEEPING THE INLET VALVE CLOSED AGAINST THE WATER PRESSURE; (K)HAND-OPERATED MEANS FOR SWINGING SAID MEMBER INTO A LOWERED POSITION FORPERMITTING SAID FLUSH VALVE TO CLOSE AND FOR CAUSING SAID ROLLER TO MOVEAWAY FROM SAID ROD AND PERMITTING THE INLET VALVE TO OPEN AND TO SWINGSAID ROD DOWNWARDLY; (L) A STOP ATTACHED TO SAID WATER OUTLET PIPE ANDPOSITIONED IN THE PATH OF SAID SWINGABLE ROD FOR LIMITING FURTHERSWINGING MOVEMENT OF SAID MEMBER INTO ITS LOWERED POSITION WHEN SAIDMEMBER CONTACTS WITH THE STOP; (M) SAID YIELDING MEANS HOLDING SAIDMEMBER IN CONTACT WITH SAID STOP WHEN SAID HAND-OPERATED MEANS IS FREED;AND (N) A FLOAT OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID MEMBER AND RAISED BY THEWATER ENTERING SAID TANK FOR SWINGING SAID MEMBER INTO RAISED POSITIONAND CAUSING SAID ROLLER TO SWING SAID ROD UPWARDLY AND CLOSE SAID INLETVALVE WHEN THE WATER LEVEL IN THE TANK REACHES A PREDETERMINED POINT;(O) SAID MEMBER WHEN IN RAISED POSITION CAUSING SAID FLEXIBLE CONNECTIONTO SWING SAID FLUSH VALVE OPEN AND PERMIT WATER TO FLOW FROM THE TANKAND OUT THROUGH SAID OUTLET PIPE.